if he liked it then he should of...

everyone in the world can finish that line! why? because it's been drilled into our brains since the day we were born, if a guy loves and wants to spend the rest of his life with a woman he buys her ring. and like everything else in this world "the bigger the better" right? i've had conversations with girls who "won't accept less than..." what does that even me? you spent years falling in love with someone who you consider spending forever with and having a family with but won't do it if the ring he buys you is not up to par? well, well, well perhaps we should reevaluate this situation. but than again most of those girls aren't even close to having someone who wants to spend forever with them...just saying! but i do know some ladies with some pretty heavy rocks on their finger that cost as much as a down payment on a home or a nice college fund for a future baby and while they're absolutely stunning rings it makes me wonder...could one have spent their money better? maybe i'm biased because i'm not into jewelry: i'm a big watch, studs, and a dainty necklace kind of girl. or maybe it's because i didn't grow up with a lot of money but a lot of love so the thought of wearing a couple thousand dollars on my finger to "prove love" seems bogus! i love the thought of the "symbol" which is why i always wanted an engagement band and then for the wedding we add another (than again i'm not very traditional).    recently me and the boyfriend have engaged in talks of the future: weddings, babies, homes...real grown up shit huh?! so weird! when i told him i wanted a band he responded with a chuckle and "yeah right! i'm not falling for that!" and i swore up and down that is what i wanted. he was so unconvinced he decided ring shopping was necessary and he picked some rings i had "pinned" and while i thought they were stunning i hated them on my hand, they just weren't for me.  before we left i tried on a black diamond band and fell in love...it suited me! still not convinced we took a trip to a ring designer who i loved anna sheffield due to her unique, vintage, and dainty designs and well i fell in love with a rock!  (side note: ring shopping was something i was always totally against. the way i saw it the person i know should a. know me enough to pick out something i like b. regardless what they get me it's about the love. wrong! how can someone know what you want when you don't even know, plus what you like in a picture is totally different than what looks good on you. it's like me trying to pull off a rihanna off "bitch sit down, you do not have riri's body!" and it's something that you have to wear forever, think about it...would your guy buy an ugly pair of sneakers you bought him every single day of his life just because you bought them...hell no!) i asked a few girls and most said "girl get the rock!" "it's an engagement ring, you need a rock!". while i would not mind running around with a rock on my hand i know that the rock doesn't define my relationship but damn it looks good! the band would symbolize that i'm "taken", won't break the bank as much, and it's different. but now to play devils advocate the ring is a symbol of the mans love and dedication to you and hell it might even boost his ego when people stop you to say "oh my god what a gorgeous ring!" he can sit there and be all "yeah! i did that!" 

ladies, would you say yes to a proposal without a ring?

check out this video about engagement rings being a scam!

date your (wo)man.

who doesn't love a good date night? hell! who doesn't need a good date night? a chance to get dolled up and spend some qt with the beau; sign me up! it's really important to never get too comfortable in your relationship. it's very easy to lose sight of what's really important; between long days at work, constant weekend plans, and a million things "to do" and people "to see" we cannot forget what is right in front of us. so take a day to turn off your phone or at least put it on silent (it's okay the world will not stop turning, twitter won't stop tweeting, and honestly nobody will even notice you're gone for a few hours) and focus solely on your relationship. catch up with your partner...what's going on in their life? how are they feeling? some of us are more in tuned and caught up with the kim kardashian's of the world rather than the person by your side. get in tune with each other and appreciate the love you share...fall in love again. i'm a firm believer that a great date isn't an expensive date, but i will never turn down a fancy night out either (it's nice to throw that in every once in a while too!). during the time i stepped away from social media i was trying to follow my own advice and decided to start posting date ideas! "babe we have to go on a date, it's for a post (hehe!)" oh and date night doesn't have to be at night make a day out of that shit!

date day: what do you get when you combine wine, lawn games, fire pit, picnic tables, no cell phone service and live music? if you said heaven you were right and heaven has a name robibero family winery. from the first phone call i fell in love; the gentleman i spoke with was warm, friendly, and said we could bring our pup! we packed a bag of goodies for the pup and for us, stopped by a deli for some sandwiches, picked up a zipcar and went on our merry way. robibero is about 90 minutes outside of the city which was the perfect amount of time to feel like we were away from everyone and everything. once we got there we were greeted by the families little pup "snickers" (an 8 year old 2 pound yorkie) and our own pup showered with hugs and kisses from everyone there. charlie was so loved that we were able to enjoy our $8 wine tasting (5 wines each) without having to worry about her. after our tasting we bought a bottle of wine and parked ourselves in the adirondack chairs with cheese and crackers and just took it all in. later on we relocated to the grass and laid out on our blanket to nap off the buzz...heaven. after a few hours we packed our bags, purchased a few bottles of wine for our own collection, and headed into town for some dinner. honestly, this was one of the best days we've had...we were able to "escape" and just be us and enjoy each other with no interruptions and lots of wine!

date night: now let's change gears (slightly), this time think: dolled up, candlelit space, live jazz, whiskey for days and a table for 2. this is not a scene i created in my mind this is real life, this is the flatiron room. again, there was great customer service which makes all the difference and really gets things started on a good foot. i surprised my whiskey loving lover with a fancy little date night behind these library doors, once you enter times stops in this old school whiskey library...it looks like a scene out of beauty and the beast (probably not what my guy wants to hear but oh well!). we were seated at a round table for two right by the stage where a cuban jazz band was jamming, and the volume was loud enough to hear it crystal clear but low enough that we could hear each other speak using indoor voices. a very knowledge server greeted us with a million page whiskey menu which was beyond overwhelming for me but made the boy the all giddy. we decided on a flight of whiskey with 8 or 10 whiskeys from around the world, it's safe to say i grew hair on my chest that night (not sexy, i know) but again the boy was in his glory! once we finished the flight i pried to find out his favorite of the flight and secretly purchased him his own bottle of it, it gets better...they brought the bottle to the table with a tag that read his name and a black card with his name. see the thing is it really is a library, a whiskey library and now he has his own bottle of whiskey just for him and his guest(s) to drink from every single time he visits! such a great night, we were drunk and in love with the sounds of the bass all around us!

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charlie!

so i have been a bit mia...sorry! i have been working on a very exciting project, trying to prioritize the important things in life, and of course taking care of charlie. well, well my friends after numerous nights at the hospital, thousands of dollars in bills, countless injections and tube feedings our girl made it! she put up a tough fight with us and with all the good vibes it's no surprise that she laughed in the face of "a 10% chance of living!". now our little momma is running around like a loca and showering us and everyone she encounters with lots of love (aka licks...something i'm still not used to). we've introduced her to a whole new world of people, doggies, parks, and most recently a doggie beach and a winery (our girl loves our love of wine). so thank you to everyone for all the love, well wishes and good vibes...they went a long way! and after putting up a fight with petco they took care of what they needed to as well! moral of the story: fight for what you believe in!

you can check out charlie's daily doings on my instagram...she's pretty much flooding my feed even though she hates pics, ugh! charlie on insta